ANT 102
Beng Belief System The Beng culture, fascinating and unique, is learned about in the books written by Alma Gottlieb. Beng people have a specific belief system that is exemplified in both Parallel Worlds and the video clips created for The Afterlife is Where We Came From. The adornment of jewelry for Beng babies is a practice that the people concern themselves with because of their belief that the jewelry will serve both medicinal and aesthetic purposes. The belief that everything happens for a reason is shown through that example along with the situation of the death of Félice in the memoir Parallel Worlds. In the video clip entitled “Jewelry,” a Beng mother is seen creating jewelry for a 4 day old baby girl, demonstrating the importance the people place on keeping their babies alive. Infant mortality in the Beng is high, thus leading the Beng to be extremely conscious of babies’ health. While some jewelry is just used to assure the child that they are cared for, there is also the belief that the jewelry will counteract death in the baby. To relate the belief system of all things occurring for a reason, compare the jewelry custom to the death of a young Beng boy, Félice. As Alma recalled a past conversation about the child’s inability to walk, she remembered the Beng’s belief that Félice was cursed because his parents had not waited to have sex until he learned to walk. This type of thinking is an example of how the people in that culture had an explanation behind every occurrence in the village. This example relates back to the jewelry custom as the Beng trust that the adornment of jewelry can further protect the young children from returning to the afterlife, or wrugbe. As the death of the young boy was disheartening, the belief behind his death was evident; the village believed his parents were the cause of it. Belief systems such as these are evident in the Beng culture, demonstrating their faith in the spiritual world. The Beng’s belief that there is an explanation for everything that happens is seen in both the adornment of medicinal/aesthetic jewelry methods and the prophecy that Félice would not survive because of his parent’s decision. When the prophecy came true as Félice did not survive, it was clear to the Beng how powerful the spirits were. This culture’s belief system is intriguing, as the people have clear and evident reasons behind everything that happens in their village.